I
have had a life-long love affair with watches. Ever since I was a kid, I was
infatuated with them. In fact, I still have several of my old Pulsar, Casio and
other random digital and Quartz models from the late 70's/early 80's. I'm not
really sure why I had such an interest in watches, but I'm glad I did. I recall
my mother telling her friends she was concerned I'd become one of those street
vendors that wore a watch lined trench coat calling out "Hey buddy, need a
watch!" However, I purchased most of them myself so it taught me valuable
lessons of hard work, goal setting, saving, and how to take care of things. My
first "nice" watch was a Seiko Kinetic with Lumibrite dial. Man I
loved that piece! Unfortunately, an ex-girlfriend is still wearing it, assumedly
(another valuable lesson learned there). At the time though, $125 for a watch
was a huge investment for me, but it was so worth it.

It
was this watch that really started me down the path of respecting mechanical
movements. Of course the Seiko Kinetic is not a mechanical watch, but it did
have rotor that charged the battery for the quartz movement. This fascinating
spinning disc was enough to pique my interest and my mechanical investigation
began. I was already a gear head thanks to my dad who was the predecessor of
McGiver. He could (and still can) fix anything. He was always taking
apart and miraculously repairing anything that didn't work, regardless if he
previously knew anything about said washing machine, well pump, transmission,
microwave, fallen telecommunications satellite...

Growing
up in this environment fostered my desire to want to know the how and why and
what came before my quartz watches. What I learned had me hooked! I developed
so much respect for the ingenuity behind making a mechanical movement, as well
as all the other components. I was shocked to learn the great history of the
American watch industry and its sad demise. What I didn't realize though, is
that I subconsciously tied myself to this industry for the rest of my life.
Everyone has a passion, mine found me.

Since
then, my taste in watches may have changed, but my respect and admiration
hasn't. The proliferation of microbrands over the last several years is simply
amazing. All of the interesting designs, craftsmanship, and value has created a
niche market that didn't exist 10 years ago. However, I am an equal opportunist
and my personal collection spans from Omega, Rolex, Hamilton, Oris, Fortis all
the way to vintage Universal Genève (probably my favorite brand, aside from
DuFrane of course!), Wyler and even a Bradley Mickey mouse piece. Why not? Some
things never change, and my collection continues to grow.